NEW ORLEANS - The Tulane men's basketball team hosts its most common rival in Conference USA play as Southern Miss makes its 34th trip to Fogelman Arena for the 67th game in the all-time series this Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Tulane Athletics is offering a special ticket price for the TU-Southern Miss with $5 end-court tickets at Fogelman Arena. End court tickets are normally $10, so basketball fans across the region are encouraged to take advantage of this is limited time opportunity. Tickets are available by calling (504) 861-WAVE (9283), by visiting www.TulaneGreenWave.com, or in person at the Fogelman Arena ticket sales booth on Wednesday.

Tulane (7-8, 1-1 C-USA) is 6-2 at home this season, including 1-0 in Conference USA play, after posting a 65-54 victory over Rice in its C-USA home opener last Saturday. The Wave is averaging 73.1 points per game at home this season (11.5 points better than its season average), while holding its opponents to 61.6 points per contest. TU has scored 80+ points twice (87 vs. Albany State; 88 vs. North Carolina A&T) and has held five opponents to 65 or fewer points on its home floor this season.

Junior Kevin Sims leads TU in scoring with 11.5 points per game and assists with 3.9 per outing, while senior Robinson Louisme is the team's second-leading rebounder with 6.4 boards per outing.

Southern Miss (9-5, 0-1 C-USA) opened the season with a 4-4 mark after its first eight non-conference games, but reeled off five straight victories and concluded its non-league schedule with a 9-4 mark. However, the Golden Eagles stumbled out of the gates to begin Conference USA play with a 67-58 loss on the road at Tulsa in its lone league game of the 2009 campaign. USM is 0-1 on the road this season with the Tulsa game marking its lone true road game of the year. The Golden Eagles played seven games at neutral sites and notched a record of 5-2. Southern Miss has taken care of the ball this season with just 10.7 miscues per game, which ranks second among Conference USA teams and fourth nationally.

Jeremy Wise, a 2008 All-Conference USA Second Team selection, leads the team in scoring with 17.6 points per game and also is the top assist leader with 4.7 per outing. Courtney Beasley is the team's second leading scorer (13.0) and is also the Golden Eagles' top rebounder with 6.6 per contest. R.L. Horton is the third USM player averaging double figure scoring with 12 points per game.

Wednesday's game marks the 67th meeting between Tulane and Southern Miss and the Green Wave leads the all-time series, 39-27, and holds a 23-10 edge in games played at Fogelman Arena. The two schools have met regularly since 1948 and have been members of both the Metro Conference and C-USA.

Since the two teams became Conference USA rivals in 1995, Tulane holds a 14-13 lead, including an 8-6 mark at Fogelman Arena. From 1982-83 to 1994-95, the two teams were both members of the Metro Conference, and Tulane held an 11-8 edge in the series.

NEXT UP
Tulane hits the road for the second time this season during Conference USA play when the Green Wave treks to Dallas, Texas, to face the SMU Mustangs (5-8, 0-1 C-USA) on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on Time Warner in Dallas. The Green Wave won last year's contest with the Mustangs, 67-52, at Fogelman Arena.

The mission of the Tulane University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics is to support the university's purpose of enriching the capacity to think, learn, act, and lead with integrity and wisdom. This is ensured by providing our student-athletes and staff with opportunities for competitive success and personal growth within the context of sportsmanship, teamwork, and integrity.